


Three Times El and Will Schemed to Get Joyce and Hopper Together and the One Time it Worked

by somebodywakeuphicks



Series: Joyce and Hopper Need Each Other-One Shots [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Denial of Feelings, F/M, Happy Ending, Joyce and Hopper are meant to be, Scheming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 20:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13442769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodywakeuphicks/pseuds/somebodywakeuphicks
Summary: The title says it all.





	Three Times El and Will Schemed to Get Joyce and Hopper Together and the One Time it Worked

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first work of a sequence of Jopper one shots. 
> 
> All stories in this series will have different ratings, so please be aware of that. They may involve different characters and POV, but they are all centered on Hopper and Joyce's relationship in some way.

**Summer 1985**

_Part 1_

_El Hopper_

 

“Hop?” El spoke one early June evening on the way to the Byers’ house. 

“Hm?” Hopper seemed distracted. 

“Why do you drop me off? Why do you not stay?”

“Why would I stay? I’m dropping you off so that you can spend time with your friends and not be cooped up in the cabin all year.”

“I know, but you used to stay.”

Hopper cracked a smile. “Yeah, well that’s when I was still nervous about leaving you places. Remember how I stayed outside the school dance all night? It’s taken some time to get comfortable with this whole idea.”

“It is not to do with Joyce?”

Hopper startled, turning his head sharply toward El. “What on earth makes you think that?”

“I don’t know. You used to talk and now you do not. Why?”

Hopper sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated?”

“Yeah, a tricky situation.”

“Why?” El knew Hopper couldn’t resist her charm, so she put on her best doe eyes, hoping he’d cave and talk.

“I just—well, you know Bob’s gone? I want to give her space.”

“Why?”

Hopper grumbled. “Does it really matter? What’s the deal with you, anyway?” He stared ahead, watching the road, passing headlights illuminating his face every so often. 

“I think she misses you.”

Hopper’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “She hasn’t asked me to stay, so I’m not going to start now.”

El knew by the tone of his voice that she had pushed it a tad too far. Best to drop it. “What time will you pick me up?”

“How’s 11:00 sound? Don’t know if I can stay up much past that.”

“Okay.”

When they pulled up to the Byers’, El hopped out and ran to the front door, letting herself in. She knew they didn’t mind. She had arranged to get there a bit early, before anyone else. 

“Hey, El!” Will greeted as she walked into his room and plopped herself down on his bed. “Couldn’t convince him, huh?”

El shrugged, grabbing a Red Vine from the package on his bed and biting the top off. “No. Did you ask your mom?”

“Yeah. She said it was complicated.”

“Hopper said that, too!”

“I don’t understand what’s so complicated about it. If they’re friends, and they say they are, why have they been acting so weird?”

“Since the Snow Ball,” El added.

“Yeah. I don’t know what happened—”

A holler interrupted him. “Hey! Ready for Sixteen Candles? I hear there are boobs in it.” 

“Hey, Dustin. Yell that a little louder, why dontcha?” Will rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, but…there are boobs in it, though.” He glanced at El. “I brought snacks. Anyone want snacks?”

Fifteen minutes later, El, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Mike had themselves settled on the couch and side chairs, an assortment of snacks on the coffee table in front of them.

“Okay, I’ll be in my room if you need me,” Joyce called over her shoulder as she closed the door. “Have fun!”

“Thanks, Ms. Byers,” Lucas said. “And thanks for making the puppy chow.” He turned to his friends. “Your mom is so cool, Will. My mom would give us carrot sticks and make us watch The Brave Little Toaster just so Erica could watch with us.”

Will leaned in close to El. “She wouldn’t have to stay cooped up in her room if she and Hopper didn’t act like total weirdos.”

El stifled a giggle, and Mike furrowed his brow as he put one arm around his girlfriend. “The movie’s starting. Shut up.”

El found herself bored throughout the movie. She didn’t understand most of the jokes, and she didn’t understand why the boys were so obsessed with the blonde, even Mike. “Going to get a drink,” she told Mike, although he wasn’t really listening. 

Will and Max followed her into the kitchen. “Boys,” Max rolled her eyes. “I was enjoying the movie until they had to rewind that shower scene over and over.”

“Hey,” Will said, feigning hurt. 

“Whatever. Just try to pretend you didn’t like it, too.”

Will cracked a smile, then turned to El. “We didn’t get to finish our talk before.”

“Ohh, what talk?” Max leaned in, all ears. 

“We are trying to get Hopper and my mom together,” Will said. “Don’t tell the others. They’ll think it’s dumb.”

“I think Hopper loves her,” El whispered.

Max’s eyes grew wide, and she squealed a little. “Oh, this is fun! Can I be in on it, too?”

“Help us come up with a plan, and you’re in,” Will said.

“Tell me what’s going on, and I’ll come up with something so amazing, they’ll be married by next summer.” 

***

As El made herself some lunch the following Monday, she dialed Joyce’s number. Hopper had already left for work several hours before. When Joyce picked up, El let out a cry. 

“Who is this?” Joyce asked, alarmed.

“It’s El! I need help! I am hurt!”

“Oh, sweetheart! What happened? Where’s Hopper?”

“I called. He is out. Flo cannot get him. My belly hurts so bad! I don’t know. It hurts so much!”

“I’m coming right over. I’ll be there in ten.” She hung up the phone, and El smiled to herself, taking a bite of her sandwich, before dialing Hopper’s number. 

Exactly ten minutes later, Joyce burst through the door, finding El hunched over in a corner. She ran over to the girl and knelt down, pulling her into her arms. “Sweetie, how does it hurt? Do you feel like you’re going to vomit? Is it sharp? Crampy? Are you feeling it on your right side at all? You’re not warm.”

“I—I don’t know.”

Joyce sat up and looked at El quizzically. Just then, Hopper threw the door open, running to his daughter. “What’s going on?” He crouched down, asking most of the same questions Joyce had just asked. 

“I, uh, I think I am better,” El stammered. She hadn’t really considered what she’d do when the two of them questioned her further. Max hadn’t explained that part. 

Hopper eyed El suspiciously. “Better, huh? Because ten minutes ago, you were screaming so loud, I thought for sure I’d have to rush you to the hospital.” He looked over at Joyce. “Did she call you, too?”

“Yeah, she said she couldn’t get a hold of you.”

Hopper fixed a hard gaze on El. “I’ve been sitting in my office all day. Friends don’t lie. What the hell is going on?”

El began to cry. “I am sorry. I should not lie. I just—I want you to talk. To Joyce.”

Hopper sighed and stood up. “I see. And I told you before to stay out of it. You know what that means?”

“Hop,” Joyce put a hand on his arm. “She’s upset enough." 

Before El could stop it, she spat out, “I just want a mama, okay? I have a dad. Why can I not have a mama, too?”

Hopper and Joyce stood there in silence. After a minute, Joyce spoke. “I’m going to go. Be gentle with her, Hop.” She turned and walked out the door. 

Hopper pinched the bridge of his nose and plopped down onto the couch. “That was—that’s not the way to go about this.”

“How is the way?” El whispered.

“Let me handle that. You can’t just… _force_ people to fall in love, okay?”

“But I think you do. Love her, I mean.”

“Listen, El. I know you think you know all about this. You feel things for Mike. I get it. Grown ups are not that simple. It’s—”

“Complicated, I know.” El frowned.

“Yeah. It is. But if you want me to start going on dates, I’ll start going on dates.”

El’s eyes brightened. “Really? You mean it?”

“Yeah, why not? I wasn’t sure what you’d think about all that, which is why I haven’t." 

El jumped up and hugged Hopper. 

“Yeah, yeah. Can I get back to work now?”

 

_Part 2_

_Will Byers_

 

As upset as his mom looked, Will knew the plan had failed. Joyce sat on the couch, her hands clasped together. 

“You okay, Mom?” Will asked.

Joyce sighed. “Yeah.”

“You sure? You don’t look okay.” Will walked over to the couch and sat down next to Joyce.

“I’ve made a lot of stupid choices in my life, you know? Sometimes I think to myself, ‘Joyce, you’re forty-two. Shouldn’t you know what you want?’ But I don’t. And when I do luck into something good—” She smiled at Will, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “It doesn’t matter, though. You and Jonathan are what’s important.” Joyce pulled Will into a hug. “I love you both so much.”

“I love you, too, Mom. But you know, Jonathan and I, we want you to be happy, too.”

“Oh, I am! I am, I promise. I don’t know why I said that stuff about luck. I am lucky. I’ve got the both of you. And I got a second chance with you, even after I screwed up horribly—”

Will knew she still blamed herself for his disappearance. He also knew she blamed herself for Bob’s death. “Mom, it wasn’t your fault. Neither thing was.”

Joyce studied her son’s face and pursed her lips. “Well. In any case, I shouldn’t be talking to you about this stuff.”

“Who _do_ you talk to about it?” Will asked. “You can’t just bottle it up.”

“You know I can’t afford a therapist.”

“I’m not talking about that. Just _someone_. A friend.”

“I think I’m okay." 

Will sighed. He wanted to see his mom happy. He knew she loved him and Jonathan, but with Bob, she could light up a room just through sheer contentment. He would give anything to see that again. 

Later that afternoon, he dialed El’s number. 

“Hey, so plan B, huh? Wanna come over?" 

“I can’t,” El answered. “Hopper grounded me. A week. Talk to Max.”

“I’ll see what we can come up with.”

***

“What do you _mean_ you set fire to a dumpster? What the hell were you thinking?” Joyce placed a cigarette between her lips, her hands working at the lighter and failing. Hopper leaned over and lit the cigarette for her, then sat back.

“Sorry, Mom,” Will mumbled. He sat in Hopper’s office chair, staring at his lap.

“ _No_ , that’s not good enough! This is not the Will I know! Who put you up to this? Your _friends_?”

“Joyce, go easy on him. He’s never done anything like this before. From what he told me, it seemed it was a bit of a dare made by some older kids. Of course, we only caught Will, which I’m glad, because he’s never going to do anything like this again. Am I right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Oh, you better _believe_ —”

“I won’t, Mom. It was just a stupid dare.”

“Well, I’m embarrassed enough for today. I had to leave work. You know we need that money, Will!”

“Sorry!”

“That makes two of us,” Hopper chuckled. 

“What?” Joyce turned to him, clearly irritated. 

“My embarrassing moment last week. Now yours. Fitting.” He eyed Will.

“Ugh, I don’t even know what you’re on to. Come on, Will. Let’s go.”

Joyce, of course, grounded Will, but for two weeks instead of El’s one. He snuck to the phone later that evening, dialing El’s number and hoping Hopper wouldn’t be the one to pick up. 

Luckily for him, El answered. “I think we need to stop asking Max for plans. It’s just pissing our parents off.”

“Yes,” El agreed. “Let’s both think for two weeks. It will be…what is it called? The holiday?”

“Fourth of July. Independence Day." 

“Yes. That. We will think of something for then.”

 

_Part 3_

_Joyce Byers_

 

“Mom, can we go to the lake for the Fourth of July?” Will asked.

“Wouldn’t you rather hang out with your friends?” Joyce’s anger over the dumpster fire had abated over the last two weeks.

“I’ll invite them, too. Come on. It’ll be fun. We can have a cook out and shoot off fireworks.”

Joyce thought for a moment. “Sure, why not? Sounds like fun.”

A couple days later, Joyce pulled her Pinto up to the lake, Will in the passenger seat and Dustin and Lucas in back. Jonathan and Nancy followed closely behind in Jonathan’s car. They all piled out, carrying a large cooler, bags, and a volleyball. The boys got to work starting the hot dogs and burgers while Joyce stripped down to her black one-piece, covered herself in sunscreen, and laid out on a towel. She rarely got to relax like this, even as she found herself surrounded by rowdy teenage boys. 

Not fifteen minutes later, a brown truck pulled up, and El, Mike, and Max leapt out with Hopper following behind them, sighing. He caught sight of Joyce, and she thought she saw his blue eyes widen and rake over her body for a split second before returning to their look of indifference. “Why am I not surprised?” Hopper shook his head. 

Two could play at that game. Joyce propped her upper half up by her elbows, and she pulled her sunglasses down to peer at Hopper. “Might as well make the best of it, Hop. Obviously, the kids want to be here together. We can give them that, can’t we? Let’s act like adults.”

Hopper huffed. “So you’re insinuating that I’m acting like a child?”

Joyce raised her eyebrows.

“Fine. We’ll be good.” He opened the cooler, pulling out a Schlitz and popping the tab before taking several huge gulps and sitting down in a chair.

Joyce would ignore him. Yep, that’s exactly what she would do. She wondered whose idea this was. Hell, maybe they were all in on it together. She eyed the kids and saw Will, El, and Max dart their eyes away. _Yep._ Busted. 

After dinner, the kids started a game of volleyball. Of course, there weren’t enough players, but that didn’t stop them from trying and failing terribly. 

“Mom! Hopper! Come play with us! We need more people,” Will said.

“Volleyball’s not really my thing, kid,” Hopper said. 

“I’ll play!” Joyce jumped up to join the game. 

“But we need one more to make it even,” Dustin whined. 

“Yeah, Hop. Please,” El begged, batting her long eyelashes. 

“Ugh, fine. But I warn you, I’m not that good.”

“None of us are. That’s the beauty of it,” Max said.

Hopper pulled his t-shirt over his head and found a spot opposite Joyce. She pursed her lips and tried not to stare. She wasn’t even sure _what_ made her want to stare, but she felt it, nonetheless. And by the looks of it, she wasn’t the only one with difficultly, as she felt Hopper’s eyes study her.

“Earth to Joyce!” Hopper teased. “Get the ball.”

 _Right._ It had gone right past her as she stood, occupied by her thoughts. She ran over and picked up the ball, serving it. 

As the sun sunk lower into the sky, the kids played in the water, shrieking and splashing each other. Jonathan and Nancy had taken a walk around the lake. Joyce and Hopper sat on the shore, beers in hand. 

Hopper broke the silence. “I trust that Wheeler kid about as far as I can throw him.” 

“I suspect you could throw him fairly far. A few feet, anyway,” Joyce laughed. 

“Yeah, well they’re too young for this. I don’t like it.” He watched as Mike tried to put El on his shoulders, failing as she fell back into the water with a giggle.

“Hop, they’re fourteen. Don’t you remember what we were doing at fourteen?”

“Yeah, not much,” he laughed.

“Exactly. Give them a break. Your overprotectiveness with El is cute, though.” Joyce smiled.

Hopper looked at her, eyes wistful. Before he could say anything, El ran over, dripping wet, to grab a towel. She glanced between the two adults and beamed. 

“Hey, kid. Having fun?” Hopper leaned over and ruffled the girl’s wet hair. 

“Yeah. Is it a date? Did it work?”

Hopper choked a little. “What are you talking about, El?”

“You said you would date. Joyce is here. Is it a date?" 

Joyce’s eyes grew wide as she glanced at Hopper. The poor girl was working so hard to bring them together, and she hoped Hopper would be sensitive to this.

Hopper pursed his lips and and considered a minute before speaking. “El, when I said that, I didn’t mean Joyce and me. I do have a date. Next weekend. With a woman named Cindy. She works over at the high school.”

Joyce’s stomach dropped.

“No! You said! You lied!” El yelled.

Hopper tried to remain calm. “I didn’t lie. I said I would start going on dates, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. I said nothing about Joyce. You misunderstood me. I should have been clearer.”

El bunched her hands into fists, tears forming. She stormed off, finding a tree to sit against, out of sight.

“Shouldn’t you go talk to her?” Joyce asked.

“I will. Not just yet. I’ll give her some time,” Hopper answered.

“A date with Cindy, huh? That’s fun.”

“Yeah, well, I ran into her when I went to the high school to register El for the fall. We got to talking. Hit it off. El said she wanted me to start going on dates. I thought I was doing what she wanted." 

“Oh, Hop,” Joyce said, knowing full well that’s not what El meant. “The kids have been trying so hard to get us together. My son should know better, but El doesn’t know how these things work, yet. She’s learning. Cindy’s a very nice person. If things go well for the two of you, I’m sure El will come around. She’s only latched onto me because she knows me.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Hopper said. 

“Perhaps it would help if they could see us acting more as friends,” Joyce suggested. “Not avoiding each other. Why don't you come over for movie night? When’s your date?”

“Friday,” Hopper answered.

“So come over Saturday. I’ll make dinner. The kids’ll be over. We can show them that there’s nothing going on between us. That we’re friends.”

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t mean it.”

“Okay. Next Saturday. I’ll be there.”

 

_Part 4_

_Jim Hopper_

 

Hopper stood on Joyce’s porch, waiting. He folded his arms, glancing around. 

El looked at him. “We can go in.”

“I know you do it, but I don’t feel comfortable doing that.”

The door opened, and Joyce stood in the doorway, brown eyes shining. “Hey! Come on in, guys!”

Hopper handed Joyce a bottle of Jim Beam. 

“Oh, you didn’t have to!”

“I know I didn’t, but you don’t ever splurge for liquor, so I thought it would be a nice gesture. We can break it open if the movie’s boring,” Hopper said.

Joyce smiled. “Sounds like a plan, then.”

El ran to Will’s bedroom where he and Max were hanging out, waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive. 

After everyone sat down at the dining room table, Joyce went out to the kitchen to get the food. “Hopper, go help her,” El said.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Good idea.” He got up and headed into the kitchen. “Need help?” he asked Joyce.

“Sure. Can you slice the garlic bread and grab some tongs for the salad? I’ve gotta get the lasagna out of the oven.” As Hopper busied himself and Joyce placed the hot pan onto the stovetop, she turned to Hopper. “So how was your date last night?”

“Pretty good, actually. We went to the new restaurant. Fireside Cafe. Their burgers weren’t bad.”

“Is she someone you’d want to see again?”

“Yeah. We already have a date for next Friday. El’s not happy about it, but she’ll get used to the idea, I think. Cindy’s really nice. She works with high schoolers, so I don’t worry about her not knowing how to relate to El, you know? But it’s early. I don’t want to rush into anything.”

“Of course,” Joyce replied.

“What about you? How are you doing?” Hopper didn’t want to push the sensitive subject. Last time he did, it ended badly.

“Oh, you know. Okay. Like you said, it gets better, but the pain doesn’t ever go away.”

“You met anyone you, uh…are you interested in anyone?" 

“Maybe. There is one person who I could maybe see myself with, but he’s seeing someone else, so the timing’s not great. It’s something I’ve been mulling over for awhile, but the timing’s never been good.”

“Yeah, I know what that’s like,” Hopper empathized. 

They were quiet for a few moments until Dustin yelled from the other room. “Hey, we’re gonna waste away in here!”

Joyce just laughed. “Guess we should get back in there, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s been nice catching up a little, though.”

Hopper couldn’t help the grin that lit up his whole face. 

After dinner, everyone crowded around the TV as Will put in the movie.

“I can’t wait to see Terminator. I’ve been wanting to see it for so long,” Dustin said.

“Uh, actually…we’re not watching Terminator,” Will said. He looked at El. “I sort of…lost it.”

“What do you mean you lost it?” Mike yelled. “Didn’t you just rent it today?" 

“Yeah, but I’m not sure where I put it.”

“So Ghostbusters, then?” Dustin asked.

“I’m getting kind of sick of that movie,” Will answered.

“So what are we watching?” Lucas asked.

“Um, well, El and I were talking, and she hasn’t seen some of the movies we liked as kids. So we’re going to watch Escape to Witch Mountain.”

The boys all started arguing at once. “What do you mean? That movie is for babies!” Lucas yelled. 

“Hey, hey,” Hopper tried to calm everyone down. “Let’s take a vote. Who wants to watch this Witch Mountain movie?” Will, El, and Max raised their hands. Mike looked at El, then raised his hand tentatively. 

“That’s not fair!” Dustin argued. 

“I think it’s plenty fair,” Hopper said. “Put the movie on.”

About thirty minutes into the movie, Hopper could see why the boys didn’t want to watch it. He was surprised anyone but El wanted to watch it. He fidgeted in his seat, then announced he was going to the kitchen to get snacks. “Anyone want anything?”

“I’ll help.” Joyce jumped up to join him. 

As soon as they got into the kitchen, Joyce groaned. “I’m so bored in there!”

“Me, too,” Hopper laughed. “I can’t figure out why any of them wanted to watch that movie.”

“So whaddaya say we get these snacks out to the kids, then come back in here for some bourbon?” Joyce grinned.

“You read my mind.”

Joyce sat on the counter, swinging her legs, tumbler in hand. Hopper sat in one of the kitchen chairs. 

“You know,” she said, a bit tipsy. “I’m not gonna lie. When you said you were taking Cindy out, I was a little bit jealous. Just a liiiitle bit.” She pinched her thumb and index finger together, squinting.

“Really? I think you’ve had a little too much liquor.”

“Noooo, I’m good. Maybe you should have more.”

“I’m driving El and some of the other kids home, so no.”

Joyce pouted. “Fine.” She thought for a moment. “Hop, I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah, well, I figured it was best if I kept my distance for awhile. You know. You said it yourself, even.”

“That was over five months ago!”

“It’s not like you invited me to come over until now. And let’s face it. If the kids hadn’t schemed to  get us together at the lake, I still wouldn’t be invited over.”

Joyce dropped her head. “I know. I’m sorry. But you have to know where I’m coming from. You can’t just kiss someone whose boyfriend died two months before!”

“And I already apologized. It was a mistake.”

“Was it? Didn’t you mean it?”

Hopper sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Joyce, of _course_ I meant it. But it was shitty timing. It always is. And I can’t wait around, anymore. I’m moving on. You should, too.”

Joyce scoffed. “Don’t tell me how to live my life, Jim Hopper! You don’t know what this feels like!”

“Don’t know, huh? Because I’m pretty sure I had a five-year-old daughter at some point, and she’s not around, anymore. So don’t tell me I don’t know.” Hopper’s eyes burned. 

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. It’s…hard, knowing when to move on. I’ll always have feelings for Bob.”

“And I’ll always have feelings for Diane. So? At some point, you’ve just gotta do it. Sara, my little Sara…she wouldn’t have wanted me to be alone. For so long, I couldn’t stand to even look at children. But the whole fucking Upside Down situation changed all that. _El_ changed all that. She’s what I needed to begin healing. Not to replace Sara. But to start feeling whole again.”

Joyce sat silently, staring at her tumbler. 

“ _Fuck_ , I don’t usually get like this. Sorry. Shouldn’t have brought this over, I guess,” he said, tilting the half-empty bottle.

Joyce still didn’t answer.

“Okay, well I’m going to see where the kids are in the movie.” Hopper joined the kids in the living room. El looked up at him expectantly. Half the kids were asleep. “You ready to go?” he asked El. She nodded.

Much later that evening, after El had gone to bed, Hopper stood on the cabin porch, smoking a cigarette. “Stupid,” he muttered to himself. He shouldn’t have gone over to the Byers’. Not after kissing Joyce at the Snow Ball. Yeah, it had been almost six months, but clearly, she wasn't over that foolish choice of his. And why the hell would she say she was jealous of Cindy? Was it the bourbon talking? If not, what did _that_ all mean in this complex web they’d spun for themselves?

Just then, Hopper heard a car coming up the drive. _That’s strange_ , he thought. He looked at his watch. Midnight. Only four people of driving age knew about this place…“Joyce,” Hopper breathed as she got out of her car, shutting the door. 

She walked up the steps, meeting Hopper and exploring his eyes before standing on her tip toes and wrapping her arms around his neck, wordlessly pulling him in for a kiss. 

A groan rose up from the back of Hopper’s throat as he kissed her back, then second guessed himself and pulled away. “What are you doing?”

“I thought long and hard after everyone left. About what _I_ want. There’s never a perfect time for anything. And if I wait for perfect timing, really great opportunities are going to pass me by. I don’t want to be afraid to take that step, anymore. I wasn’t ready when we were fourteen. I wasn’t ready when you came back to Hawkins, or when Will went missing. I wasn’t ready when Bob found his way into my life. I wasn’t ready at the Snow Ball, only two months after Bob died. But now? Why not now? You’re in a good place. I’m in a good place. Probably as good as we’re going to get. It’s like the universe keeps putting us together, so I say _fuck it_ , why not at least try?" 

Hopper leaned down, cupping Joyce’s face as his lips crashed into hers. He nipped at her lower lip and thrust his tongue into her mouth, teeth banging together in desperation. He could barely breathe. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they pulled apart, chests rising and falling.

“Wow,” Joyce exhaled.

“Yeah,” Hopper agreed.

“I don’t want you to see Cindy, anymore.”

“Deal.”

“I should probably go. But before I do—”

Hopper pulled her in for a bruising kiss once more. 

“Okay,” Joyce breathed, once the kiss broke. “Take me on a proper date. Call me tomorrow. We’ll see where this thing goes." 

As Joyce walked back to her car, Hopper gawked at her, blinking. When he turned to go back into the cabin, his lips upturned into a smile so big, his face hurt. 


End file.
